It's up to ICC to decide Pak players' venue for women's world cup: BCCI

Rising tension at the LoC, after Pakistan's violation of the ceasefire, has led to protests by Shiv Sena against the Pakistani players' participation in the ongoing Hockey India League, prompting the Mumbai franchise to shift to Delhi for its practice sessions.

Anticipating trouble due to Pakistani players' participation in the upcoming Women's World Cup in the city, the BCCI on Tuesday said the International Cricket Council will take a final call on whether to stick to the original venue or change it for the team from across the border. "We have decided to write to the ICC to explain the situation here. After that, they will take a call on whether to change the venue or persist with it," a top BCCI official said after the Board's Working Committee meeting here on Tuesday.

Rising tension at the LoC, after Pakistan's violation of the ceasefire, has led to protests by Shiv Sena against the Pakistani players' participation in the ongoing Hockey India League, prompting the Mumbai franchise to shift to Delhi for its practice sessions.

The eight-team Women's World Cup is scheduled to be held entirely in Mumbai between January 31 and February 17 and there is concern that there might be protests, leading to trouble.

The Wankhede Stadium, Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium, the Maharashtra Cricket Association's Bandra Kurla Complex ground and the MIG Club in Bandra are the venues for the women's World Cup matches.

While the BCCI decided that the best course of action would be to apprise the ICC of the security concerns that have been raised by the Maharashtra Cricket Association, an official said, "Logistically, it would be tough to change the venue. But it is for the ICC to decide because they are the ones who picked the venue in the first place."

As per the schedule, Pakistan are set to arrive here on January 26 and will play their league games at the MCA-Bandra Kurla complex.